did u laugh when andre ward defended the clinching

It is not surprising because about everything that Ward says is self serving. Ward may work in the clinch a fair amount but he initiates a clinch and then punches, that is called holding and hitting. It is a tactic that takes advantage of the largely American style of refereeing that constantly demands that the two fighters break themselves up as much as possible, "punch out". It is very effective but its effectiveness is increased by fighting in the US. It would be less effective if he wasn't such a hometown fighter. When you have Smoger or Reiss as referee you have carte blanche.

I love it!! Castillion Spanish spoken with a lisp because the king of Spain at the time had a lisp and no one wanted to be seen correcting him....Wing Chun footwork deviating with pigeon toes because Yip Man was pigeon toed! Isn't it a remarkable facility of the human spirit that we can turn a weakness into a style and strength with enough determination and imagination? A rotary cuff injury hurts....I can understand Ward's capitulation! It is... On another hand: "rotary" is one thing and "rotator" is totally different thing...

Ward had all the natural gifts aimed to turn him into a big name in the sport. Unfortunately, Ward suffered a right shoulder rotator cuff injury when he was like 12 of age -- and this accident completely twisted his fate... Ward had to hide for years and years that he's only a one handed fighter -- namely he's left handed... The "old school inside boxing" and his "roughhouse" tactics originated from these... He eventually undertook surgery, but it happened as late as 2013... I love it!! Castillion Spanish spoken with a lisp because the king of Spain at the time had a lisp and no one wanted to be seen correcting him....Wing Chun footwork deviating with pigeon toes because Yip Man was pigeon toed! Isn't it a remarkable facility of the human spirit that we can turn a weakness into a style and strength with enough determination and imagination? A rotary cuff injury hurts....I can understand Ward's capitulation!

exactly. ward is one of the best inside fighters in boxing right now. he clinches a good deal, but it's generally a tactic to work inside. he'll tie a man up, get him to the ropes, and then bring his hands close to his chest and work. it's very different from what chavez was doing. is ward a sqeaky clean fighter? no. but he's not a freaking soundrel like diego chavez. chavez was trying to get the ref to break them up. he even mixed in the eye gouging and lacing. brandon rios is way too stupid to act that pissed off to get a DQ on purpose. chavez was clearly lacing him / digging at his eyes. The Rios Chavez situation was "a perfect storm".... Neither guy, nor the ref could be considered a brain surgeon:cop:. It got out of hand and Chavez did some unspeakable things in the process. Rios is indeed "way too stupid." Its kind of unfortunate some feel that Ward can be compared to this absurd situation.

some boxers do it, some do it more... whats the issue, u clowns complain about anything boxing related these days... how long have u all been watching boxing? like do u all realize u complain about any n everything about boxing outside of the one boxer you idolize?

Very true. When the going gets tough, Klitschko, Mayweather, Ward, Hopkins etc all start holding but the likes of Klitschko and Mayweather don't even work with a free arm, they just wait for the ref. It's very unfair, so too is penalising a B-side for it when refs would never touch an A-side for it. Generally though, refs really ought to be tougher on it because it deprives the fans of a fight. You comparing Mayweather and Ward's holding to Klitschko is just stupid. There is no comparison in how each one uses it.

It was pretty funny, it did make sense though as the ref was very involved most of the time refs are not that hands on. Lots of fights would end in dqs if reffed the same way not really my cup of tea atleast until fighters adapted.

Ward had all the natural gifts aimed to turn him into a big name in the sport. Unfortunately, Ward suffered a right shoulder rotator cuff injury when he was like 12 of age -- and this accident completely twisted his fate... Ward had to hide for years and years that he's only a one handed fighter -- namely he's left handed... The "old school inside boxing" and his "roughhouse" tactics originated from these... He eventually undertook surgery, but it happened as late as 2013...

Yeah I noticed that big time and wondered if anyone else caught it :D

Ward works inside. Thats a BIG difference. So does Hopkins. Most fighters do not even fight inside anymore....That would be like baseball deciding to eliminate half the field, or telling a pitcher he can only throw fastballs. Ward and Bhops occasionally do toe the line but show tremendous skill. yes if Ward did not have his inside game he would be chin checked more often... exactly. ward is one of the best inside fighters in boxing right now. he clinches a good deal, but it's generally a tactic to work inside. he'll tie a man up, get him to the ropes, and then bring his hands close to his chest and work. it's very different from what chavez was doing. is ward a sqeaky clean fighter? no. but he's not a freaking soundrel like diego chavez. chavez was trying to get the ref to break them up. he even mixed in the eye gouging and lacing. brandon rios is way too stupid to act that pissed off to get a DQ on purpose. chavez was clearly lacing him / digging at his eyes.

Ward has a John "huggy bear" Ruiz poster on his bedroom wall.

Ward works inside. Thats a BIG difference. So does Hopkins. Most fighters do not even fight inside anymore....That would be like baseball deciding to eliminate half the field, or telling a pitcher he can only throw fastballs. Ward and Bhops occasionally do toe the line but show tremendous skill. yes if Ward did not have his inside game he would be chin checked more often...

It all seemed a little suspect to me. Anyone bored enough to count the times they were in a clinch? The bigger fighters do it ALL the time. I didn't think it was excess given that we see it all the time. Without the clinch, I have a hard time seeing Wlad still being the champ! Very true. When the going gets tough, Klitschko, Mayweather, Ward, Hopkins etc all start holding but the likes of Klitschko and Mayweather don't even work with a free arm, they just wait for the ref. It's very unfair, so too is penalising a B-side for it when refs would never touch an A-side for it. Generally though, refs really ought to be tougher on it because it deprives the fans of a fight.

Yeah... it was so ironic that it almost wasn't funny, but I laughed a bit. Without all the holding, Ward's chin gets checked much more often. Not something he wants to have happen, obviously and Drakulich will never have the displeasure of reffing his fights.

I think clinching takes a lot out of some fights. I don't really see it as "strategy" so much. It's painful to watch and breaks up the action. Of course, when a fighter is hurt I see nothing wrong with it. But man some if Ward's comments really were cringe-worthy.

It all seemed a little suspect to me. Anyone bored enough to count the times they were in a clinch? The bigger fighters do it ALL the time. I didn't think it was excess given that we see it all the time. Without the clinch, I have a hard time seeing Wlad still being the champ!

Not at all. Its a big part of andre's game, but he does work while holding unlike chaves did. I did lol when he called the DDT a savvy move though. Ward might just suplex his opponent when he comes back

I nominate Vic for Mayweather and Ward fights

its just part of boxing and so is dq'ing bums that keep doing it like chaves, akwindade, and hopefully in the near future ward and wlad. viva vik drakulich! he's a young lion!

not gonna lie, i did get a chuckle when i heard Ward defending it "...i dont get it either, Jim...it's a part of boxing" :lol1: great memory on that quote. i almost expected him to finish the sentence and say "and look how far it's gotten me."